He took opium (known as laudanum) as a pain killer which was quite common in his era.If he became addicted at all, there is some dispute, he was in the category of what we would call addicted-to-prescription-drugs.As a side note, Sherlock Holmes was searching for Lascar, the owner of the opium den, in “The Man With The Twisted Lip.”

I can’t post the video, because it “isn’t available at your location,” but here is a quote from that sketch.

Nick DiPaolo: For $6 Million

The Gillette company offered ZZ Top, the rock group, $6 million bucks to shave their beards on a national TV commercial, and they turned it down. Hey folks, for $6 million bucks, I’d let some guy with a nervous condition shave my ass with a bolo knife. Give Katharine Hepburn three cups of black coffee, and let her chase me with a weed whacker for a half hour.